BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5
“One of the most exciting, cleanest, well performed and brilliantly conducted concerts this listener has had the pleasure to hear in many years. . . It's my pleasure to advise that you should make a note of following the career of, and listening to Mr. Schneider. His talent is considerable. Not only was his Beethoven reading a great interpretation, it was also crafted with care. This was a performance where dynamics served the composer's intent perfectly. Schneider extracted gorgeous decrescendos and sforzandos from the ensemble. His choice of tempos was inspired and his handling of the paired final two movements masterful. To say that this was one of the greatest Beethoven Fifths this listener has ever heard is to say that this maestro is capable of reaching national prominence in a short period of time.”
- Albert H. Cohen, News Tribune
“The orchestra played a program of Rossini, Schubert and Beethoven with a fire and energy that bordered on greatness. The magnificent Beethoven Fifth sounded wonderful at the hands of Schneider and the orchestra.”
- Stefan Janis, Star Ledger
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9
“I was left with a sense of exultation and admiration. This was a NINTH of majesty and power.”
- Albert H. Cohen, News Tribune
“Beethoven's mighty Ninth got off the ground securely, and soared aloft. The music was in good hands with this conductor.”
- Michael Redmond, Star Ledger
“Schneider led the group with unremitting intensity. . . Balance and tuning were glorious, dynamics effortlessly in control. Especially effective was the attention given to details of musical gesture.”
- Graham McKinley, Princeton Packet
“A stirring performance”
- June Wolfberg, The Record
BIZET: Symphony in C
“Schneider had this orchestra playing with a fantastic range of dynamics, color, and rhythm. .. The last movement simply erupted like wildfire under Schneider's baton.”
- Stefan Janis, Star Ledger
COPLAND: Appalachian Spring
“An unfailingly eloquent reading.”
- Michael Redmond, Star Ledger
HAYDN: Symphony No. 92 "Oxford"
“Brilliantly dynamic, excellently detailed, and cleanly played. The work was beautifully balanced and the orchestra showed the kind of cohesion that makes its performances such revealing ones.”
- Albert H. Cohen, News Tribune
“It came off wonderfully well, thanks to tempi that impressed this listener as absolutely right, plus high spirits, crisp articulation, and a near-ideal space.”
- Michael Redmond, Star Ledger
MOZART: Requiem
“An inspired performance.”
- Charles McCurdy, Philadelphia Inquirer
“There was not one iota of hesitation by the singers or the players in responding to Schneider's grand design.”
- Stefan Janis, Star Ledger
“Schneider led a vigorous and tautly paced interpretation. He filled out Mozart's music with strong orchestral playing and fervent choral singing. The performance drew deserved cheers from the audience.”
- Robert Baxter, Courier Post
MOZART: Symphony No. 40
“The tempi were impeccable - especially that of the finale, which almost everybody takes too fast - and the interpretation was poised and elegant, as is Schneider's podium demeanor.”
- Michael Redmond, Star Ledger
MOZART: Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"
“Gary Schneider turned the "Jupiter" into an exciting, emotional experience. He did so by creating a tautness of line throughout. Even the andante was filled with an inner tension that contrasted with the elegance of the muted violin's main theme. Each movement was cleanly delineated, with balances between groups carefully preserved. The integration of mood was so excellent I felt the ending of movements to be interruptions in the symphony's flow instead of normal pauses.”
- Albert H. Cohen, News Tribune
FALLA: El Amor Brujo
“Another spectacular performance. . . the music was thrillingly vivid.”
- Albert H. Cohen, News Tribune
FALLA: Three Cornered Hat Suite
“Schneider's tempo and concept for de Falla's Sombrero de Tres Picos was totally captivating. The orchestra played with supreme confidence under his baton.”
- Stefan Janis, Star Ledger
RANDS: Madrigali
“It certainly ranks among the most compelling accounts of a new score to be given in New Jersey this year. Bravo, bravo, and again bravo.”
- Michael Redmond, The Star Ledger
STRAVINSKY: L'Histoire du Soldat
“A performance that was no less than electrifying.”
- Michael Redmond, The Star Ledger
European Debut at the Zelt Musik Festival, Freiburg, Germany
“The discovery of the evening was The Festival Orchestra and their conductor Gary Schneider. Here, superb work was performed so that in the concerti and also in the works of Rossini and Schubert every sound was appropriate and every nuance was in place.”
- Friedemann Otterbach, Sudkurier
“... the spontaneous encore with Barbara Thompson, Perry Robinson, and at the piano (in tails!) the astonishing Gary Schneider "Jazzer", Composer, Orchestra Conductor, - a musician as possibly only could exist in America, where there aren't strict traditional compartmentalized attitudes.. .
“Gary Schneider and his Festival Orchestra have done a great deal in a short time, a high degree of ensemble discipline, a noteworthy presence was achieved. Schubert's Fifth Symphony had glimpses into the depth beneath the playfulness.”
-Heinz W. Koch, Badische Zeitung